Quality of Life in the Games Industry Changing Slowly
By Shawn on Tuesday, May 13th, 2008 at 2:00 PM PST In Electronic Arts, Game Companies, Gamer Life, Games Industry
Three and a half years ago EA_Spouse, née Erin Hoffman, wrote an open letter that drug one of the uglier skeletons out of the closet of the games industry. The resulting fallout made “Quality of Life” a catch phrase and brought talk of unionization to the table. Since then, the industry has slowly been changing as companies balance the threat of having an EA_spouse with the need for crunch time to get products out on time.
According to Jason Della Rocca, executive director of the International Game Developers Association (IGDA), “every studio head, every producer, every HR person is keenly aware of this quality of life issue, of this working conditions issue and, believe me, none of them want an EA_Spouse to surface in their company.”
But the issue hasn’t disappeared, that’s for sure,” he says. “The average developer at the average company is still overworked, underpaid, and doesn’t have the right tools or training.”
Erin Hoffman who still works in the games industry as freelance game designer and writer asserts that progress is being made.
“I think EA is tremendously reformed, having made some real strong efforts to get the right people into their human resources department,” she says.
“I’ve been hearing from people who have gotten overtime pay there and I think that makes a great deal of difference. In fact, I’ve actually recommended to a few people I know to apply for jobs there.”
However QoL isn’t assured for all workers in the games industry and change has been slow to come on.
“We seem to be entering another valley,” reports Hoffman, “especially outside of California, mainly at smaller studios in places like Austin. I was contacted by one woman whose husband is in the same situation as was my then-fiancée three and a half years ago.”
“He’s been having a lot of health issues and, despite letters she’s written to management, his crunch time has gotten out of hand. It just goes to prove that there is definitely a group of people in the industry who believe that excessive crunch is the only way to make good games on time. That hasn’t changed.
QoL issues are one of the factors people seeking careers in the games industry have to think carefully about. The inevitable crunch time in the development cycle can take a toll on workers’ health as well as their relationship with their families. Della Rocca has suggestions as to how companies could make the expected sacrifices less painful. However unionization is still a ways off.
via Gamasutra
So? My industry regularly works 12 hour days 6 days a week. Welcome to the 21st century.
I don’t understand why anyone would accept those type of working conditions. Unless you simply cannot get a job elsewhere, walk. I’m a software engineer and architect (business systems, not games) and I rarely work more than 45 hours a week, and I get six weeks PTO. I won’t take a job with a death march attitude. And saying, “that’s the way it is” just gives employers more ammo. Got news for you, if the industry has a downturn the company is not going to say, “but they all worked really hard and gave up a lot of their personal time.” Nope, you’ll get axed just like everyone else.
I’m halfway through my B.A in Game Art & Design. Spent my whole life dreaming about becoming a game designer. The trend thats happening now with companies reinventing the wheel on graphics and animation with EVERY game they release is leading to impossible production loads. If they simple took a moment to look into other apsects of gameing (you know… the other 8 equaling important ones) then this wouldn’t be necessary. People who accept this lifestyle are redicoulas. We only live once; I’m not going to choose a career with an apathetic boss over my fiance, and ultimately – my life. It wouldn’t happen if not for customer’s drinking sand because they believe its water, and for the pushover corporate employee’s who are allowing themselves to be treated this way.